Netoituna

Netoituna is a term used in some fisheries and ichthyology literature to describe tunas that display a distinctive net-like pattern of interlacing lines on their sides and a characteristic body form. It is not recognized as a formal taxonomic unit by major databases, and in many contexts the term functions as a market label or phenotype rather than a scientific species designation.

Netoituna derives its name from net and tuna, reflecting the net-like flank pattern observed in some individuals. These tunas are typically large, fast swimmers with elongated bodies, a pointed snout, and a crescent tail. They show a dark blue dorsum and silver flanks, with a reticulate pattern created by scale alignment and pigmentation that resembles a net under certain lighting.

The label is most often used for tunas captured in tropical to temperate open-ocean zones worldwide. Netoituna is associated with pelagic habitats where schooling and migratory behavior are common; their diet consists mainly of small fishes and squid. Reproductive data tied specifically to the netoituna label are limited; broadly, tunas spawn in warm, productive waters, with larvae drifting in nutrient-rich currents.

In commercial markets, netoituna refers to individuals of tuna either captured by purse seines or longlines that exhibit the net-pattern phenotype, and it is sometimes used to distinguish product quality. Sustainability considerations align with those of tunas in the same species complexes, including stock status, fishery impacts, and management measures in regional fisheries organizations.

Related terms include tuna, Scombridae, purse-seine and longline fisheries.